The Lost City
by AintFraidaNoGhosts
Summary: The Doctor and Rose find the legendary city of Atlantis. But all is not how it should be.
1. Chapter 1

**So I already wrote a prologue for this, and then I decided to go in a completely different direction. This is the result. Enjoy!**

"Dr. Greene, are you reading me? We have Dr. Rema on the frequency. The Council has urgent matters to discuss with you both. Please respond."

Dr. Leyla Greene shifted the paperwork she'd been working on all morning off to the side of her desk and pressed a button on her holophone. Instantly, a split-screen image of the ruling Council, resplendent in their traditional crimson robes and her colleague, Dr. Anwar Rema appeared before her. "Blessed Morning to you, gentlemen. What can I help you with?"

Spokesperson Rowan began quickly. "We have received word from our scouts that the Black are on the move. They are hungry and restless. It is safe to assume that they will target us once again and will not make the same mistakes. They will be stronger and more numerous and we must prepare."

Leyla felt all the blood drain from her face. Even after so many years and so many history lessons, her heart still clenched in fear simply hearing the Black's name.

"How can we be positive that the Black will attack?" Dr. Rema asked, mirroring one of the many questions that had been racing through Leyla's mind. He appeared calm, though the high-quality resolution on her new holophone showed the barely perceptible paling of his already light skin.

"General Halal seems to think it is a distinct possibility. We leave nothing to chance. Dr. Greene, are the pods ready?"

Leyla took a deep breath, calming down enough to answer. "They're…functional. There is just no way of knowing how long they will last. We are still testing the half-life of the…"

"Keep going," Rowan commanded. "Remember our motto…"

"Stay Alive," Leyla recited. "I know, sir."

"And Anwar? How are the shields?"

"We've been able to reinforce the smaller ones around the essential buildings," Anwar replied quickly, shuffling papers and folders around on his desk. "The shield around the island is still functional but it is proving…_difficult_…to reinforce such a large space. It will hold up as is for a short while…"

"Enough to give the citizens time to get to the pods?"

He coughed. "We…hope so, sir."

"Do more than _hope_, Doctor," Rowan snapped. "_Stay. Alive."_

"Yes, Spokesperson."

Rowan sighed. "We will be starting emergency drills with the citizens. And I want you _both_, as project leaders, to be well-versed in Operation Lost protocol. Should General Halal give the order, I want you to be able to follow the instructions to the letter."

Leyla swallowed. Operation Lost was the absolute _last _resort. If the Council was even _considering _it, then the situation was dire indeed.

"We have sent for an expert to help aid us along. Our fastest ship should bring him within the next seven cycles. Be advised, he is an off-worlder and may be unfamiliar with many aspects of our culture. But we have been assured he is well worth our time."

"Yes, sir," Leyla answered. "I look forward to receiving him."

"Very well. I will leave you to your duties, the Council must resume the daily schedule. Blessed morning, Dr. Greene, Dr. Rema."

"Spokesperson Rowan," the two scientists chimed simultaneously. The image of the Council blinked off, and Leyla immediately removed her glasses and pressed the heels of her hands against her brow. She could feel a dull, throbbing ache building, and the last thing she wanted to do was more research, more testing, and more equations.

"Don't hurt yourself, Leyla," Anwar scolded gently. "Such lovely, rare dark eyes should be cherished, not abused."

Leyla cracked said eyes open and managed a weak smile. She hadn't realized the image of her colleague was still transmitting. "You flatter me." Sighing, she rested her cheek in her hand and let some of weariness show. "Do you really think we can do this?"

Anwar let some of his professional façade slide and gave her a warm smile. "If anyone can, it's you, Leyla."

"Your vote of confidence is noted, Anwar," Leyla grinned back.

"Have you considered my invitation to supper this evening?"

Leyla's smile wavered a bit. "I expect you and I will be working late for the next few cycles."

He sighed. "Yes, I expect you're right. Back to my stuffy, dusty tomes."

"Me as well," Leyla sighed. "If you need anything…"

"You are on the top of my list."

"And you on mine," she added gently. "I will talk to you soon, Anwar."

He smiled at her and ended the transmission. Rejuvenated, Leyla shrugged her white coat on over her simple black skirt and blouse and headed into the lab to continue her work.

"So what you're saying is," Rose grinned at the Doctor as he danced around the TARDIS console. "You have no idea where we've ended up?"

"Absolutely no clue," the Doctor grinned back at Rose, who was draped across the jumpseat, looking relaxed. Looking as if she owned the place.

_Well,_ the Doctor thought with a small smile. _I suppose she does…sort of…_

"So the planet out there," Rose gestured to the door. "Could be populated entirely by lizard creatures with really, _really _sharp teeth? Or maybe by sweet, cuddly woodland animals? And we're just gonna…go on out?"

"The TARDIS would never take us somewhere unsafe," the Doctor reasoned. "She absolutely adores you despite the fact that you leave your trainers where anyone can trip over them. She would put up a huge fuss if I let anything happen to you. Not worth the hassle. Now, Rose Tyler…would you care to do the honors?"

Rose beamed at him and hopped nimbly off the jumpseat. She made for the doors and cracked one open, gasping in delight at the scene it revealed. They were outside of what seemed to be a massive, walled-in city. She could just make out small vehicles hovering above the ivory and gold walls. The TARDIS itself had landed on a white-sand beach, and opposite the walls, all she could see was endless blue ocean. What appeared to be palm trees swayed gently in the warm breeze, and the sun was nearly blinding in its intensity.

"Doctor," Rose called from the door. "You should really come and see this."

The Doctor moved down the ramp to stand behind Rose, peeking out of the doors and grinning brilliantly. "Oh, but this is _gorgeous!_ Our own little tropical paradise! I wonder where we are…" He took in a deep breath through his nose before crouching down to gather a bit of the sand. Rose gaped at him as his tongue reached out to analyze the sample. "Hmmm…seems that we are on Earth, looks to be at least a few centuries in your future judging by those lovely hovercrafts. Shall I go check the coordinates? Or do you want to be surprised?" He regarded Rose with a wag of his eyebrows and a gleefully mischievous smile.

Rose couldn't help but return his expression. His enthusiasm was catching. "Oh go on…you know you want to."

The Doctor's smile widened as he squeezed her shoulder affectionately and darted over the check the monitor. Immediately, his specs were on his nose and he was peering at the monitor as if he'd never seen it before.

"What?" he sputtered. "That's impossible!"

"Doctor?" Rose asked, moving quickly to stand next to him, even though she couldn't make heads or tails of the loopy, concentric circles of his written language. "What does it say?"

"It can't be right! There's got to be an error somewhere!" he began furiously tapping at keys and even slapped the monitor angrily a few times before the TARDIS hummed a warning note.

"What's going on, Doctor?" Rose demanded, his behavior making her feel a bit panicked. "Tell me!"

The Doctor turned to look at her, completely distressed. "Rose," he began. "Outside those doors, it is the year 7500 B.C.E. Those are flying vehicles. In the year 7500 B.C.E. And according to these coordinates, we should be floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all! If you had this story on alert, I just wanted to mention that I completely overhauled the prologue. Please make sure you go back and re-read it. Thank you for reading, and thank you to my WONDERFUL betas! Onwards!**

"This isn't right," the Doctor kept muttering under his breath, diving around the console and tweaking various devices.

"Obviously, Doctor," Rose replied. "So, what's going on? Alien influence? Time Agents? Something mucking about with history?"

"I don't know," he said. "It doesn't _feel _like anything is off, but this can't be! No Earth civilization has this kind of technology before the twenty-second century. Certainly not without there being something terribly, _terribly _wrong."

"But you'd know if there was something else going on?"

"It would be a weak point, I'd be able to sense it," he answered, finally ceasing in his motions and turning to face her. He leaned back against the console and rubbed his hands over his face. "Just feels like any old normal day."

"There's something weird going on, that's for sure," Rose told him, mirroring his stance but leaning against the railing opposite him. "Why don't we go look around? Ask the locals?"

He peeked out from behind his hands, a smile beginning to form on his face. "We could do that, yeah…"

His delight was contagious, and instantly Rose found herself grinning back. "Would make more sense than sitting around here just talking about how impossible everything is."

"It would," he conceded.

Rose reached her hand out for his, her smile widening when he readily grasped it. "Unless, of course…you're not feeling up for an adventure…"

"Rose Tyler!" the Doctor exclaimed, eyes glinting with mischief as he tugged her closer to him. "What exactly are you implying?"

"Nothing!" she replied, grinning at him with her tongue caught between her teeth. "Just though you might be in the mood for a little…you know…R&R! Man of your advancing years…"

"Oh, I'll show you advancing years," the Doctor practically growled, pushing off from the console and tugging Rose down the ramp. He grabbed his coat off the railing on the way out the door and let go of her hand just long enough to tug it on, despite the blast of warm, sultry air that hit them as soon as they stepped onto the sand.

Grasping Rose's hand back in his, he began strolling casually up to the ornate, gilded gate. There was an attendant on the other side who began to rise from his seated position as they approached.

Rose gasped as the person unfolded from the small chair. He had to be at least two feet taller than she was, with light, almost translucent skin, nearly white hair and clear blue eyes. He was dressed in whites and tans, clearly a uniform of some kind, and he was looking at the pair of them with great interest.

"Blessed Day, sir. Miss," he offered politely and Rose had to gasp at the smooth, lilting quality to his voice. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Hello!" the Doctor greeted jovially. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose."

The attendant frowned. "Doctor? Are you…here to see Dr. Greene?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose with a raised eyebrow, before reaching into his pocket and flipping open the psychic paper. "Yep, that's us! The Doctor and Rose Tyler. Dr. Greene should be expecting us."

"Oh! Apologies, sir. We were under the impression you would arrive several cycles from now, though the Council will be pleased to see you've come so quickly."

"Well…that's me! Mr. Punctuality!"

Rose snorted.

"I'm Elias, by the way, Dr. Tyler, Mrs. Tyler. I'll raise the gate for you immediately."

"Oh, no we're not…" Rose began, but Elias had already scuttled back to a small set of controls. She watched in amazement as what appeared to be a metal gate began rolling up like a newspaper.

"Oh, now that's _brilliant!" _the Doctor crooned. ""Micro-articulated carbon fiber alloy. In a decorative shade of gold."

"Well they get points for design," Rose muttered. They passed through the gateway, and Rose shivered as it felt like tiny bristles brushed against her skin.

"Energy shield," the Doctor murmured in her ear, glancing around at the bustling metropolis they'd just entered. Elias's features seemed to be representative of the vast majority of citizens. They all shared the same build as well as the same light skin, hair, and eyes. A few stood out with dark hair and large, dark eyes, though they were in a noticeable minority. "Most likely how they manage not to get sunburned. Look how light their skin is…no natural defenses against radiation."

Rose was awe-struck at the sight before her. The city was an odd juxtaposition of organic, natural-looking stone buildings and large, impressive metal-and-glass structures. Though the occasional hovercraft zipped by, there were no vehicles actually in the streets. Instead, most of the citizens were walking, wearing various types of clothing that looked hand-made. Many were carrying what seemed to be plates and cloth sacks of seed, fruits, and vegetables.

"Are they even human?" Rose murmured. "Maybe they came to Earth and brought all this technology?"

The Doctor regarded Rose for a moment, before surreptitiously removing the sonic screwdriver from his coat and running it over a passer-by. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open in shock when he saw the reading.

"What?" Rose asked. "Where are they from?"

"Earth, Rose," the Doctor choked out. "Their origins are completely terrestrial. No energy signatures from any other planet I've ever known. What's more is…they're not even human _at all!_ They're not an early version, not highly evolved or even de-volved. They have a completely different genome from you. They should be alien but...they've been on Earth as long as humans have!"

"Come on! You're full of it!"

"I promise you," he replied, his face completely serious as he peered over the top of his thick-rimmed glasses. "I am _not_ full of it."

"If you have no idea who they are, how can we understand them? Aren't you part of the translation circuit? How can we be speaking their language if you've never seen them before?"

The Doctor's serious face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh, Rose, you do ask the brilliant questions. You wouldn't be able to tell, but they're speaking an ancient Egyptian dialect, leading me to believe that they all have had _some_ contact with humans. Perhaps they trade, perhaps they simply study. Either way, it must be very limited contact, thinking that all humans speak the dialect. The question is…where are we that would trade and study with Ancient Egypt?"

Rose stared at him for a moment before casually calling Elias over from the control booth.

"Yes, Mrs. Tyler?"

Rose winced internally at being addressed just like her mother, but put on a friendly smile for the young attendant. "Just Rose, thanks. Listen, this big lug over here…" she shoved the Doctor affectionately with her shoulder, jarring his attention away from the bustling streets to give her a soft grin. "...is being all secretive, treating this like it's some surprise vacation! Could you please tell me where I am?"

Elias put on a winning smile. "Of course, Mrs...er...Rose." He cleared his throat and straightened up, puffing out his broad chest and beginning what was surely a well-rehearsed script. "Welcome, visitors! You have just embarked on the greatest journey you will ever take! Look around and take it all in, the great, majestic, and beautiful Isle of Atlantis!"

They both stared at him for a moment before the Doctor slowly regained his capacity for speech. "You're _kidding_ me!" He barked out a laugh. "Atlantis? _The_ Atlantis? Famous, famed, fantastic, absolutely-and-completely lost City and Island of Atlantis?"

"Sir?" Elias questioned, frowning.

"And here I thought there had only been three!" he continued, ignoring Elias and draping an arm around Rose's shoulders. "Been to them all, of course! But then, that was thousands of years from now. Explains how I had no idea _this_ particular Atlantis even existed!" He dropped his voice to a murmur and leaned in close to Rose's ear. "Also explains why there are no 7-foot-tall Atlanteans spreading this technology to the ancient world and beyond. No matter where or when, Atlantis is a fixed point in time. It always, _always_ sinks."

He pulled back, an expression Rose knew all too well gracing his handsome features. He was already mourning the loss of the wonderful new species, the beautiful land, and the incredible civilization. She felt a pang of sorrow and reached up to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.

"Everything has its time, yeah?"

He noisily blew out a breath. "Yeah," he agreed quietly, turning his attention back to Elias, who was regarding them curiously. "So, Mr. Elias, thank you for the warm welcome! Is Dr. Greene expecting us?"

"I sent word ahead, Dr. Tyler. She is on the first floor of the Institute, the tall building, just there?" He pointed, and they were able to make out an imposing, sturdy stone structure in the distance. "Just past Reemar's produce stand. All though, don't expect to purchase anything today! The Reemars are helping to prepare the food for our Harvest Festival tonight. I do hope you join us, the Goddess has blessed us once again with perfect weather and a bountiful crop!"

"Ah, well, we will have to make an appearance!" He squeezed Rose to him briefly before dropping his arm from her shoulder to grip her hand. "Blessed day to you and yours, Elias!"

"And yours, sir!" he replied before turning back to his control booth and lowering the gate behind them.

The Doctor turned to Rose, his eyes twinkling. "Well...care to accompany me to the Institute, _Mrs_. Tyler?"

Rose rolled her eyes but found she was unable to contain her smile. "I'm _so_ gonna kill you. Lead on, _Doctor_ Tyler."

* * *

The pair walked hand-in-hand through the bustling streets, Rose's neck craning as she tried to take in every drop, every bit of culture she could. They were attracting attention as well, citizens stopping them every so often to shake hands heartily and welcome them to Atlantis. They seemed fascinated by Rose, petite and slim as she was and the fact that her hair was nearly as light as theirs, but her eyes dark like their occasional human visitors.

When Rose asked, rather bluntly, what they called themselves, since they referred to both Rose and the Doctor as humans, one delighted young girl laughed out loud and told them, "Why, we're Atlaneans, of course!"

"Of course," the Doctor answered, smiling at the young woman and bidding her farewell as they continued on their way. "They're Atlanteans, Rose!"

"Oh, shut up!" she chided good-naturedly. "'S weird, but whenever I pictured Atlantis, I always thought it was like the place those Amazing Sea Monkeys lived, you know?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Rose, those are freeze-dried brine shrimp, brought back to life by adding water. Not Atlanteans."

"All right, _Doctor _Tyler. Just for that, you're sleeping on the sofa tonight."

The Doctor chuckled, bumping his shoulder against hers affectionately until Rose cracked a smile as well. They chatted amiably the rest of the way, the Doctor pointing out various aspects of architecture, dress, or even the lilting strains of song that could have influenced later cultures. The walk was a bit long, but the time passed quickly as they strolled hand-in-hand and absorbed as much of the culture around them as they could.

* * *

Once they finally entered the imposing structure, labeled "The Atlantis Institute for Research and Advancement," the Doctor strode purposefully up to the reception desk.

"Hello!" he greeted. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler, here to see Dr. Greene. I believe she's expecting us?"

"Yes, sir," the bright young woman replied. "Just down the hall, fourth door on the left. You may have to knock loudly, she often gets absorbed in her research."

"I'll be sure to do that," he grinned at the receptionist, who flushed prettily as they left the desk.

Once they were out of earshot, Rose elbowed him gently, her grin belying the gentle chastising of her words. "Oi, you want to reign in on the flirting? You're a married man now."

He returned her smile. "Am I? Was I at this wedding?"

"Oh, yes," Rose teased. "You got spectacularly drunk and vomited in Great Auntie Muriel's wig. Then you spent half an hour in tears, telling my mum how much you loved her cooking. Was a bit embarrassing, really…and I didn't even get a nice piece of jewelry out of it."

"Hmmm…" he said, his smile soft as he patted the pockets of his coat. His eyes lit up and he reached inside, drawing out a small gold ring in the process. "Not exactly jewelry…but will a biodamper do in a pinch?"

"Boy, you sure know how to charm a girl."

The Doctor beamed at her, raising their clasped hands and sliding the ring onto her finger. "There, it blocks your biological signature and doubles as a lovely trinket. Don't tell me I don't know how to treat a woman."

"Oh, yeah," Rose bantered, admiring the thin band on her finger. "Love the slightly rusty finish."

"Oi! I'll have you know that is _not _rust…it's…gold dust…"

Rose snorted out a laugh, and the Doctor knocked at door number four with a dramatic flourish. He moved his hand to the knob, expecting to be told to enter, but heard no response. He knocked harder, as instructed, and still there was nothing but silence from the other side. With an exasperated look at Rose, he pounded his fist firmly against the wood.

Finally, a pleasant voice called out, "Come in!"

"Thought that was what we were trying to do," the Doctor grumbled, pushing open the door and gesturing to Rose to enter first.

She gasped at the first sight of the bright, airy laboratory. It was incredible, like nothing she'd ever seen on all of their travels. The Doctor was already off like a shot, specs on and admiring the various, complicated-looking equipment that was resting on the hand-made lab tables. They were wooden, still retaining the natural look of the trees and contrasting attractively with the shining technology atop them. Vines snaked all across the room and entwined over the tables, spouting from various beakers placed all around the room. The windows were huge, letting in ample sunshine even though the room was equipped with some sort of artificial light source in the ceiling. The bulbs reminded Rose of her modern fluorescents, though they were tinged with yellow instead of the basic white she was used to. They were currently off, obviously not needed with the sunlight blazing in from every direction.

The contrast of the room was incredible; the natural feel of the furnishings and the décor should have been in direct opposition with the complex-looking technology that was scattered everywhere. Somehow, it all fit seamlessly together. Rose could tell that the Doctor was also impressed, busy as he was with inspecting any bit of equipment he could.

"Rose, come look at this…" He beckoned her over, placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her to one of the machines. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

Rose squinted at the impressive, shining piece of equipment before turning to the Doctor with a teasing grin. "I dunno…hair dryer?"

He sighed. "_That, _Rose Tyler, is an early version of a Gaalattan mitosic stasis generator, meant to prevent crystallization in dormant protein structures." He leaned in a bit closer and dropped his voice. "I haven't seen one of those since I mistakenly landed on Colombia's black market in 5274. So, the question is…what is it doing _here?"_

"Well observed, Dr. Tyler."

The pair spun around, facing a young, dark-haired woman. She was obviously Atlantean, though with the rare dark hair and eyes they'd seen on a few of the citizens. She was also rather petite, by Atlantean standards, still several inches taller than the Doctor . Her long hair was pulled off her face, and she was dressed in a shockingly contemporary manner in a white lab coat, white blouse, and simple black skirt.

"The Council has done well in summoning you," the woman smiled kindly and came over to extend her hand. "Dr. Leyla Greene. Thank you for answering our request so quickly."

The Doctor shook her hand enthusiastically. "Of course. Brilliant, absolutely wonderful to meet you, Dr. Greene. This is Rose," he gestured to her and Dr. Greene reached to shake her hand as well. "Your laboratory is…impressive…very, very impressive."

She beamed. "That means a great deal, coming from you, Doctor. I cannot stress enough how greatly we value your expertise in the manner. May I show you to the pods?"

"Lead on!" he grasped Rose's hand in his and followed Dr. Greene out of the laboratory. The halls of the Institute were nothing special, but Rose was glad for the cool tile of the floors and the plain stone walls, as they kept the area at a comfortable temperature even as they climbed the stairwell. As they made their way through the building, Dr. Greene spouted some background information, mainly a general history of the continent, and began relaying information about their battle with creatures she only referred to as the Black.

"They came from nowhere, it seemed," Dr. Greene told them. "We had human allies who escaped immediately in their ships, convinced that we had drawn the anger of their deity, Anubis. The Black are frightening. Our troops managed to keep them at bay, but the Council vowed never again to face this risk." She turned to the Doctor, her dark eyes sharp and focused. "That is where you come in. Our motto, as Atlanteans, is to Stay Alive. We must, above all, prevail, even when all hope seems lost. Do you not agree, Doctor?"

"Survival," the Doctor mused. "Very basic instinct, Dr. Greene. We all have it, from the smallest amoebas to the most developed life forms. So what have you done to ensure yours?"

Dr. Greene glanced back at them, confused, but still not breaking her stride. "Did the Council not brief you on the assignment?"

"Oh, they were a bit…_vague_ on the details," the Doctor waved his free hand casually. "Thought it might be best to hear it from the expert anyway. Don't you think, Rose?"

"Oh…yes, definitely. Always want to hear it from the experts. Right from the source, after all."

Dr. Greene smiled at Rose. "And what of you, Mrs. Tyler? Do our ventures interest you?"

Rose glared at the Doctor, who smiled charmingly back and squeezed her hand. "Oh, yes, Dr. Greene. Fascinating stuff, really."

"Then I am glad to be sharing this with both of you." They had reached the end of a hallway, Dr. Greene keying in a code to open a sliding door. Inside the room were individual chambers, standing side-by-side against the walls, each opaque except for a small circular portal near the top. They seemed innocent enough to Rose, but the Doctor's shocked expression was enough to tell her that they were anything but.

"How on Earth do you have this sort of technology?" he breathed, sliding his specs on and moving quickly to one of the pods, removing his sonic to scan over one of the control panels. "This is…_unfathomable_, for your time…"

"Our human allies were slow to grasp onto our science," Dr. Greene continued to explain. "Medical studies have shown a significant difference in how much our cerebral usage differs. Still, it is no matter. What we have here can ensure our survival, but we need your help, Dr. Tyler, to make it so."

"What's going on?" Rose asked, sidling up next to the Doctor. "What are all the pods for?"

The Doctor looked at Rose, his expression grave. "These are cryogenic chambers, Rose."

"Cryogenic?"

"We will enter our pods at a designated time," Dr. Green continued. "All citizens are assigned one. They will close and we will be frozen in a stasis mode. The Black are creatures of pure radiation with a half-life of a thousand centuries. We must ensure that the bodies can be sustained until the threat of the radiation has passed."

Rose's eyes widened. "So…you're gonna…freeze yourselves? For ten thousand years?"

"Yes," she replied. "We must survive, at all costs. Our society is too great to lose. We are Atlantis." She paused, fixing a gaze of dark intensity on the Doctor and Rose. "And we must Stay Alive."


End file.
